Missile launching device



1959 P. R. GLEY MISSILE LAUNCHING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 15, 1958 INVENTOR. BY RAUL GL5) o. wzzzz' 1 6 iant" 498"!" I Dec. 8, 1959 Filed Jan. 15, 1958 P. R. GLEY 2,916,231

.MISSILE LAUNCHING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR,

PAUL GL5 Y BY 0. 65

%8fl6 @en- United States Patent MISSILE LAUNCHING DEVICE Paul R. Gley, Saddle Brook, NJ.

Application January 15, 1958, Serial No. 709,013 1 Claim. (Cl. 244--63) My invention relates to a missile launching device, and has particular utility in military and scientific research and experimentation.

It is known in the art that the production cost of the customary high speed and long distance missile is very high principally due to the necessity of including in the missile a large amount of fuel required to propel the missile through the earths atmosphere.

It is also known that the customary large size missile, in case of malfunctioning will fall back to the earth and thereby may cause considerable damage.

One of the important objects of my invention is to provide a novel missile launching device which can send a missile into the outer space with much less fuel housed into the missile, thereby making it possible to reduce the size and the production cost of the missile considerably.

Another important object of my invention is to provide a missile launching device which will impart a spinning motion to the missile in flight, thereby facilitating the keeping of the missile on a true course.

Another important object of my invention is to provide a missile launching device which can accomplish the launching of the missile without the blinding flash and the noise customary with missile launching, thereby permitting the secrecy of the operation.

A further object of my invention is to provide a missile launching device which has the ability to keep the missile hovering in the atmosphere to facilitate aiming or other control operations impracticable at higher velocities.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the present application, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred form of my invention,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rotary launching craft of my launching device, carrying the missile,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the catapult forming an essential part of my launching device,

Figure 3 is a side view of the missile and the rotary launching craft, with a sectional view of one of the propeller blades,

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the propeller supporting and controlling mechanism,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the automatic chuck of the catapult.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts, the numeral 1 designates the missile, illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing, which comprises a conical nose 2, a cylindrical body portion 3, and the thrust nozzle 4. Except for its smaller size, the missile 1 is of the customary construction known in the art, and is propelled in the usual manner.

An essential part of the present invention is the rotary launching craft 5 illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. This launching craft has a tubular fuselage 6 with its upper end open to receive the missile 1 to be launched. Se-

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cured to the lower end of the fuselage is the tail cone 7.

Radially mounted at the upper end of the fuselage 6 are the propeller supporting studs 8, shown in Figs. 3 and 4 which are firmly secured to the fuselage, and are provided with a hollow portion 9 housing the electronic control) equipment 10 of the launching craft 5. (See Fig. 4. i

Secured to the outer end of the propeller supporting stud 8 is the pitch control cam 11 having a grooved profile.

Rotatably mounted on the stud 8 is the propeller head 12, provided with the cam follower 13 adjacent to the cam 11, so constructed that when said cam follower is moved outwardly it engages the grooved profile of the cam 11 and thereby securing the propeller head 12 angularly with reference to the stud 8 and the connected fuselage 6. On the other hand, when the propeller head 12 is moved on the stud 8 to its nearest position to the fuselage 6, the cam 11 and the cam follower 13 will disengage, permitting an angular movement of the propeller head with respect to the stud 8 and the connected fuselage 6.

Secured to the exterior of the propeller head 12 is the lug 14 illustrated in Fig. 4, and secured to the outer end of said head 12 is the propeller blade 15, shown in Fig. 3. This propeller blade is hollow and is used also for storing the fuel supply for the jet engines 16 secured to the outer end of the propeller blade 15 (see Fig. 3), which are adapted to rotate the propeller blade 15, with the connected fuselage 6, when receiving fuel from the tank 17 contained in the propeller blade. It is important in the present invention that the centrifugal force of the fast rotating propeller blades is utilized to feed the fuel to the jet engines 16. The filling cap 18, shown in Fig. 4, is used for the filling of the fuel tank 17 of the propeller blade 15. A sectional view of one of the hollow propeller blades is shown in Fig. 3.

Another important part of my invention is the rotary catapult 19 illustrated in Fig. 2. This comprises a housing 20 carrying the rotatable chuck 21, shown in a larger scale in Fig. 5. This chuck has a central throat 22 for receiving the cylindrical fuselage 6 of the launching craft 5, and on the upper surface of the chuck are provided the slots 23 and the cam lobes 24, used for the engagement and the easy discharge of the launching craft. The rotary chuck 21 is operatively connected, by means of suitable gearing 25 to the driving motor 26, located within the housing 20, and being capable to rotate the chuck 21 with high acceleration.

The operation of my missile launching device is as follows. The cylindrical body portion of the missile is inserted into the tubular fuselage of the rotary launching craft, and this assembly is then installed in the catapult by inserting the fuelage of the launching craft into the throat of the rotary chuck 21 with the lugs 14 of the propeller heads 12 resting in the slots 23 of the chuck 21. In this position the propeller head 12 is in the position nearest to the fuselage 6 (see Fig. 4) with the cam follower 13 being disengaged from the cam 11, and the propeller blade 15 in flat pitch. Following this the driving motor of the catapult is started and speeded up causing the rotation of the chuck 21 and the connected launching craft 5 and the missile 1 at a high acceleration. The centrifugal force set up by the fast rotation will cause the propeller head 12 to move outwardly until the cam follower 13 will engage the cam 11 (see Fig. 4) and thereby causing the turning and the fixing of the propeller so as to assume a steeper angle, as a result of which, the rotating launching craft and missile will rise into the air by their own momentum, leaving the chuck of the catapult. As a further result of the fast rotation of the launching craft the centrifugal force will feed fuel to the jet engines 16 mounted at the outer ends of the propellers 15 and due to the action of these jet engines the rotation and rise of the launching craft and the enclosed missile will continue through the denser part of the atmosphere.

Following this, the missile 1 is launched from the IQ- tating launching craft by means of the usual rocket power applied in the thrust nozzle 4 of the missile, leaving the launching craft 5 behind, which will return to the earth Without much damage due to the speed moderating effect of its autorotation. This speed moderating effect of the propeller blades of the rotary launching craft will he also beneficial in cases when the rocket power of the missile for some reason will fail to be operative.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is only an example of the same, and that various changes in the size, shape, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the enjoined claim.

A missile launching device comprising a rotary launching craft having a tubular fuselage for receiving the missile; a multiplicity of propellers having variable pitch and being radially slidably mounted on said fuselage, said propellers having a nearest and a farthest position from said fuselage, and being adapted to assume a flat pitch in said nearest position and a steeper pitch in said farthest position, and said propellers having hollow portions for the storing of fuel jet engines mounted at the outer ends of said propellers in communication with said hollow portions and being adapted to rotate said propellers when receiving fuel from said hollow portions; a rotary catapult having a chuck and a throat adapted to receive and securely hold said rotary launching craft, with said propellers arranged in the said nearest position at flat pitch; motor drive means operatively connected to rotate said chuck and throat with high acceleration, together with the rotary launching craft held by said chuck and throat, thereby causing, as an effect of the centrifugal force set up, the sliding of said propellers into said farthest position resulting in the assumption of a steeper pitch by the propellers and the consequent rising of the launching craft from said chuck and throat into the air, and causing also the transfer of fuel from said hollow portions to said jet engines resulting in the continued rotation of said propellers and the connected rotary launching craft and the consequent continuation of the rising of the said launching craft together with the missile held in the said fuselage of the launching craft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

